11/4/2014 MechSE Communications
Written by MechSE Communications
Multiple Robots - Dancing Tango from Venanzio Cichella on Vimeo.
Venanzio Cichella, a PhD student in Naira Hovakimyan's research group, was one of several winners of the seventh annual "Dance Your PhD" contest, which recognizes researchers who turn their PhD thesis topics into interpretive dance. Sponsors include the journal Science and its publisher, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and HighWire Press. The winners are chosen by an expert panel of scientists and artists.
Cichella's video, which was selected by online voters as a "People's Choice" winner, demonstrated a tango that shows how flying robots can coordinate their trajectories and avoid running into each other. "An autonomous flying robot who can safely navigate a crowded dynamic environment, and coordinate with its teammates, can definitely tango! In this video, two quadrotors safely navigate the "dance floor" while coordinating with each other and with the beat of a song," said Cichella.